Recent Cubs news should provide some clues for what's ahead
The news has been flowing from 1060 West Addison this week. So to help set the table for an eventful offseason, here are some thoughts about what's happening in the land of Wrigley.
Cubs will pursue Ohtani
This one is more rumor than news, but it would certainly be a colossal development if the Cubs landed the No. 1 free agent. To recap, Angels two-way star Shohei Ohtani is not expected to pitch in 2024 because of an elbow injury, but he's also the best hitter on the market, having averaged 41 home runs the last three years.
When Ohtani rumors simmered during the season, I asked a Japanese reporters covering the Cubs if Ohtani really would consider Chicago. The answer was no, because he doesn't like cold weather and a player like Ohtani would view the Cubs as Seiya Suzuki's team and wouldn't want to infringe on that.
We'll see. Nothing is set in stone, Ohtani considered the Cubs the first time around and the team has done a good job of pushing the "Wrigley Field is special" narrative.
Speaking of nice weather, the biggest obstacle to the Cubs signing Ohtani might be the Los Angeles Dodgers, who have cleared payroll by letting Corey Seager and Trea Turner walk away the past two years. According to spotrac.com, the Dodgers' third highest 2024 salary right now, after Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman, is Chris Taylor at $13 million.
Morel will play first this winter
Jed Hoyer dropped this nugget during the GM meetings and it's an eye-opener. Aren't the Cubs expecting Pete Crow-Armstrong to play center field and a re-signed Cody Bellinger at first base in '24? Therefore, wouldn't it make more sense to play Morel at third?
This makes it sound like Hoyer is not confident about re-signing Bellinger. The Yankees are widely speculated to be competition for Bellinger, knowing his left-handed power would play at Yankee Stadium. Their payroll is in worse shape, with $136 million tied to just four players this year.
Maybe Hoyer thinks he has a chance to sign Ohtani, and to make it work, he's thinking Morel at first base and re-sign the more moderately priced Jeimer Candelario to play third.
This could go many directions. The Cubs seem certain to try to re-sign Bellinger or they could give Matt Mervis another chance. There's been talk of a free agent like Rhys Hoskins, who missed the '23 season but hit 30 home runs in '22.
Some have suggested using Morel in a potential trade for Juan Soto or Pete Alonso. That could happen, but if the Cubs are planning to raise the payroll, they'll highly value a guy like Morel, who is under team control until 2029 and shared the team lead with 26 home runs in 107 games.
Stroman opts out
Marcus Stroman choosing free agency instead of returning to the Cubs for $21 million next season was a bit of a surprise. Now the question is, will they try to replace him?
The Cubs have a decent rotation as of today, with Justin Steele, Jameson Taillon, Kyle Hendricks, Javier Assad and Jordan Wicks as a top five who all performed well at time. Drew Smyly, Hayden Wesneski, Ben Brown and Cade Horton are the depth options.
The Cubs may pursue Japanese right-hander Yoshinobu Yamamoto, a 25-year-old who will be in high demand. Two of the best free agents, San Diego's Blake Snell and Philadelphia's Aaron Nola, play for high-payroll teams and could be available.
Would the Cubs spend big on a pitcher when they have so many promising young guys lined up in the minors? Maybe, but paying for a slugger seems much more likely. The list of free agent pitchers runs deep too, with Minnesota's Sonny Gray, Texas' Jordan Montgomery and Detroit's Eduardo Rodriguez also on the market.
After the Cubs' September bullpen failure, Hoyer might want to allocate money for a proven relief arm or two.
Cubs change managers
Normally moves like this draw nothing more than a shoulder shrug. With their multimillion guaranteed salaries, there's no point in ever feeling sorry for a coach or manager. Most everyone sitting in the stands would trade problems in a second.
But it's hard not to feel for David Ross getting blindsided by this move and losing a job he loved. It's also not often a new coach or manager is hired before the old one is fired. Time will tell if hiring Craig Counsell was the right call.
Meanwhile, Ross just gets in line behind Anthony Rizzo, Kris Bryant, Kyle Schwarber and Willson Contreras. World Series heroes don't last forever.
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